The World Was On Fire
by Ling-Yao-In-A-Mini-Skirt
Summary: Sure, Saki was strong but strength only goes so far, there are much more important things. Kindness, bravery, love, that of the unconditional kind, forgiveness – these were things that seemed more important. Yes, kindness and love were things that held more value. All those things, were things she had learnt from her little brother.
1. The Red Demon and The Orange Hokage

"Don't mess this up, Sasuke Uchiha."

Saki's voice made Sasuke look up from his hand, the pendant held tight in his palm as he stared back at Saki with eyes that were quiet and hopeful. Saki gave Sakura a gentle look before, once again, turning her harsh gaze upon Sasuke. She then turned around and walked away, walking out of Sasuke's life as she had done when she was 7, all those years ago.

Sakura watched the older girl go. Saki was beautiful, she always had been. Sakura remembered seeing her for the first time, remembered the colour that flushed to her cheeks when violet eyes seemed to scan her very soul. She'd once wanted to be just like Saki, she wanted to have the same strength and the same heart, to have the same experiences and eyes that already appeared to know everything that needed to be known.

She now looked lost, stumbling as she walked. Saki held her head high despite that, because she was taught to always appear strong even if her body felt like falling in on itself.

Sasuke opened his palm slowly, his gaze now fixed on a small but dazzlingly blue pendant which held the Uchiha family crest. He then spared a looked at Sakura as he began walking down the road out of the village, wondering if he was going to mess everything up, but thinking at the same time that he didn't want to. Not again, not this time.

* * *

Saki walked into the village, her deep red kimono matching her equally as red hair, her violet eyes moving between the crowds, trying to find someone that she had spent too many of her years trying to avoid. A black leaf village head protector wrapped around her throat loosely, her forehead too cut up and bandaged to be home to the thing. Young children watched her as she walked, eyes sparkling as they caught a glimpse of the forehead protector. Saki wondered if any of them truly knew the trials of being a Ninja, surely they did by now but still, Saki had once wanted only strength, she knew the desire of power. Saki spared a few smiles, tight ones that the adults could see as fake but the children saw as recognition and praise.

A blonde head ran towards her, she could hear it before she saw it. Gasps flew around the street, people clapped and smiled brightly at the boy they once hated, the boy they once threw out onto the curb, the boy they would once kick over and over and laugh at.

Saki's tight smile softened as Naruto bounded up to her with a smile so genuine it blinded her sight for a moment.

He had just seen Sasuke, Saki knew that. She knew that smile and the hope that filled his eyes, it was the hope people got when they finally saved somebody they loved. It had been a long, long time since Saki had smiled such a smile.

"Naruto," Saki greeted.

Naruto only smiled, seemingly unaware of the amazed looks that were being thrown his way.

He took her hand in his and ran. Through the village and over homes, over places they'd both made memories in. Saki saw the playground in which Shisui would chase her in, telling her she needed to be faster than him to be a good Ninja. She had believed him. He had caught her every time.

Naruto finally stopped, a halting stop that that made Saki lose her famous balance and crash into his back with a grunt.

Saki felt Naruto's hand tighten around hers, she finally looked up, meeting Naruto's eyes and then followed where they looked next. His gaze settled on the Hokage Mountain. Naruto let go of Saki, lifted his hand up, palm facing towards the faces of those that had come before them. His palm now seemingly held the Fourth Hokage, his face not quite smiling but not frowning either. Naruto then closed his palm and grinned – like he had done the day he left the village, after Sasuke left the village before him for revenge.

It was a symbol, Saki realised, a symbol that meant he finally kept his promise. But when Naruto spoke, Saki saw that this little display wasn't just for the blonde.

"He's proud of us." Naruto said, his voice warm like the days before the war, the days after the war.

"He's proud of you." Saki said, as she never saw how those could be proud of her, after all she had done.

"He's proud of us." Naruto said again, Saki almost believed him.

" _Foolish daughter! I've always been proud of you!"_

" _Then I'll give you a reason to be!"_

Yes, Saki remembered saying that. Her back facing her father, her chakra raging and wild in her body. She ran toward the man who had destroyed her childhood, she ran faster than her father, she ran harder than she had done before, running towards the enemy almost made up for all the times she had ran away.

But then, mid-way, Saki saw a flick of red-hair, felt a hand on her shoulder and sped faster, she heard a soft but powerful voice tell her to never give up. Saki barely remembered her mother but she could never forget her voice, despite her face being a blurry image.

She still hadn't given her father a reason to be proud of her, she still hadn't given a lot of people a reason to be proud of her. Sure, she was strong but strength only goes so far, there are much more important things. Kindness, bravery, love, that of the unconditional kind, forgiveness – these were things that seemed more important than Saki's status as the most powerful Kunoichi of her generation.

She lifted her hand up, palm facing towards the faces of those that had come before them. Her palm now seemingly held the Fourth Hokage, his face not quite smiling but not frowning either. Saki then closed her palm and smiled – like she had done the day she held her brother for the first time as a grown up and let him cry on her shoulder.

Yes, kindness and love were things that held more value.

All those things, were things she had learnt from her little brother.

Saki turned her head, smiling at Naruto. He grinned back. Battle scars still plagued their bodies, their minds were still battlefields, but they were happy.

* * *

This is the story of the Hidden Leaf Village's Orange Hokage and the Red Demon of the Leaf Village. What did the Red-Hot Habanero and the Yellow Flash of the Leaf make when put together? Heroes, it seemed.


	2. Saki Yukimura

Saki Yukimura.

That was her name.

The name Danzō would tell her every night before she slept.

Saki Yukimura.

She would sometimes question:

 _But what about Uzumaki? Namikaze?_

She would feel her body burn, she would scream, blood running down her eyes, she would cry.

Danzō told her every night before she slept:

 _You are Saki Yukimura. You have no past, your future is determined by me. You are your missions. You are your strength._

Lord Danzō was the first person to ever teach Saki that she was strong.

(That she could remember. Sometimes, only sometimes, Saki could hear a whisper of a faint voice, soft but powerful, telling she was strong. But her head would hurt, ache with pain, she would cry until the voice went away.)

Uzumaki, Namikaze – those names became a delicate whisper of a memory, one wrong move and they would fly away, gone for forever like they were never there to begin with.

Saki Yukimura was 8 years old when the names seemed more like bad memories than something to be remembered with a smile. She couldn't remember. Her head would ache and she would, now, hold back tears.

She couldn't cry.

Danzō was the first person to tell her that it was a weakness.

Saki was 8 when she killed her first friend.

(That she could remember. Sometimes, only sometimes, Saki could see three black-haired boys smiling at her, laughing loudly. It left a bad taste in her mouth.)

Danzō had ordered it, said it was a test, said whoever was killed was weak. Saki remembered she only said "Yes" to a question she couldn't remember because she wanted to be strong. It took a few hours to slit the girl's throat. Saki could not remember her name the next day. But she remembered the girl's blonde hair, choppy but soft, eyes brown like mud, ugly and charming all at the same time, her smile was like sunlight. Saki remembered the colour of her blood, it was even darker than her hair.

Danzō had congratulated her, given her a uniform and sent her to a bigger training ground with more people, more forgotten pasts and memories. Saki grew stronger, grew to be something to be feared by those who had nothing to lose. Memories would resurface, like a wave crashing back into the shoreline, it was quick to come, a slow drag back out, painful but with an air of peacefulness. Saki would awake the next day with scars. She could not remember where she had gotten them from.

Saki trained every day. She was faster than anyone else in the compound, she once heard Danzō mutter she could be faster than her father and choppy but soft blonde hair appeared in her mind but so did blood even darker than her hair and she felt like screaming. History repeated itself, but it was like a bad imitation.

Saki trained every day. But one day she didn't. She instead ventured out into the village, Danzō didn't know, he was busy dealing with a boy who had a special skill in an art based Jutsu, he was too busy to see his star creation leave the main compound.

She walked out in her standard Root uniform, 9, she was 9. Saki found a store with beautiful robes and the owner felt a pang of guilt at the curious looking girl. He handed her a dark purple robe, she put it over her black uniform and for the first time, Saki felt something other than blood cover her body warmly.

Saki came to a halt on a bridge, her gaze finding the Hokage Mountain, faces of past leaders carved painstakingly into the mountain with perfect skill, their eyes almost seemed to be watching. Saki came to a halt as her eyes scanned the last face, a man not quite smiling but not frowning either. How could a mountain feel like it was watching her? Saki leant on the railing of her bridge, pressing her body to it, her eyes were round, and a cold sweat dripped down her face. She opened her mouth, closed it again then took a step back from the railing, her mind reeling.

Something hit into Saki's side, a loud grunt echoed in her ears as a boy, around 6-7 years old, whined loudly, his hand flying up to sooth his sore head, the blonde hair atop it tangled with the movement. Saki's eyes stared, so did the young boy's. Violet peered into blue. Repeating a history neither of them knew.

"You should watch were you're going, Lady." The boy said rudely with a huff, arms crossed over his chest.

"You shouldn't run when you have no balance, nor any skill to see." Saki said back.

"You talk funny." The boy laughed. He stood up, small in height and skinny; he smiled and Saki was momentarily frozen.

"I'm Naruto!"

Saki felt her body run cold, a shiver shifted through her body faster than she could run, memories. Blonde hair. Tears. Blood. A baby crying. So much crying. Soothing words. Warm arms.

"I – "Saki clenched her hands tightly, her eyes closed for a brief second.

She was gone the next. As fast as a flash.

Naruto stared.

"Eh?"

Naruto looked around, he flailed his arms around and shouted for the girl.

He then grinned.

"That was so cool!"

* * *

Uzumaki.

Namikaze.

They were no longer a whisper, they were screams of terror raging in her mind. Saki ran into the compound, kicking up dust, running past guards that wouldn't dare to touch her. Saki, for the first time in a very long time, cried like the child she was.

 _Naruto._

Saki grabbed the front of her dark purple robe in her palm, holding it so tightly she felt her nails pierce her skin.

 _Naruto._

Saki gasped, her violet eyes wide.

Years of brain-washing, torture and conditioning and it only took the sound of her little brother's name to bring her back.

She did not tell Danzō, she did not cry, she did not feel sad, only anger soured.

Saki left the compound once again.

Kakashi Hatake walked home. His feet heavy, his shoulders feeling like lead. All he wanted to do was shower and sleep. The mission had been hard, he wanted to go home – well, not home but the apartment he owned.

Kakashi Hatake was not often shocked, he felt he had already seen and done all the things that could leave him shocked. But seeing his dead Sensei's daughter, whom he hadn't seem in almost 2 years, sitting at his kitchen table shocked him to his core.

" _You're her Godfather!"_

" _What?! Me?! But Sensei!"_

Kushina had laughed but said, in her strong voice, that they trusted him to protect their daughter. He had held the newborn in his arm, red-hair already sprouting from her head, her eyes violet like her mothers. But the shape of her face and shape of her eyes, they were Minato-Sensei's. Seeing her now, she looked even more like Minato-Sensei. Her hair was shaped like his had been, choppy fringe and bangs identical to that of the young blonde Hokage.

"Kakashi Hatake." Her voice was cold, lifeless even. It sounded like a question. She did not remember his face, his name however was spoken in her home; Saki could hear her mother's voice calling the name with fondness.

"Saki – "

"I want you to tell me about my family."

It wasn't long, only days passed. Kakashi did not see Saki for long, only a week at the most. She had listened as he spoke with a dead stare that reminded him of himself.

Kakashi had gone into his room, opened his draws, finding a wooden box within it and brought it out to Saki. He explained that on the night Minato-Sensei had died, he'd given these tools to Kakashi, ordering him to give them to Saki when she came of age.

Flying Thunder God Kunai.

Specially made by Minato-Sensei himself.

Saki had asked, demanded really, what techniques her father had used with them. It was the 7th day when he told her. Saki didn't come back the next day. Leaving only a note that held a promise, something along the lines of becoming stronger, becoming more powerful, as to become worthy enough to be Naruto's sister. Kakashi never got to tell her that strength and power didn't make for a perfect sister.

* * *

It was Saki who decided to go back to Root.

Danzō had berated her for leaving, he'd slapped her; tortured the girl in anger when she'd presented the Flying Thunder God Kunai. She then pledged to allegiance to the man, stating she would kill anyone using the weapons. Saki's blood boiled but she could not leave, after all she had done, she could not pretend she was a normal Ninja after all the people she had killed.

Uzumaki.

Namikaze.

Kushina.

Minato.

Naruto.

Saki did not forget.

 _Naruto._

She would not forget, not again.


	3. Massacre

Shisui Uchiha stared in horror at the young girl in front of him. His eyes not leaving her face, scanning it as if trying to find a lie, something to indicate that this wasn't the person he thought it was. But the sound of her voice, that hair –

"Y – You – "

"Lord Danzō always gets what he wants." Shisui could hear the disgust, could hear the inner pain and the experience that came with that statement. "You will learn that soon enough."

"Why are you here?" Shisui asked, voice low.

"I have come to assist Lord Danzō in claiming your eye – "

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT, SAKI!"

Violet eyes narrowed behind a white mask.

"Don't even try to bullshit me," Shisui said, voice thick. "You could never bullshit me, not when we were kids."

Saki felt her mind ache, her eyes traced the Uchiha's face with precision, trying to remember each line but not being able to even recognise his voice.

"Don't make me do this," Shisui pleaded as he saw Saki draw her Tantō from her hip. "Please."

"Shisui of the Body Flicker," the wind rustled trees, sent shivers down Shisui's spine. Shisui's name sounded so foreign in Saki's mouth, it sounded unknown and old. "Sorry."

Shisui felt a sharp pain in his neck the next second, blood poured from a wound created by a silver Tantō, shining from the moonlight.

She was fast, well, it was no wonder she was, considering who her father was.

It was too fast, even for Shisui – or maybe he just didn't want to hurt Saki, as he was once close to her, holding her dear to him, the memory of what they used to be. She was small, thin, scared to say hello. She was kind. Saki was kind, but never delicate, always stronger than one thought.

"Saki, please – "

"Stop –!" Pure desperation, it broke his heart. The Tantō sliced further into Shisui's neck, it stung but he had been through worse. Saki had too, Shisui was sure. It broke his heart. Maybe it broke hers too.

"I'm so sorry." Shisui used the hesitation in the girl's attack to activate the very eyes she came to kill him for.

It had been a long time since Shisui had held Saki, he used to lift her up and run around with her in his arms as Itachi did the same with Sasuke. He ran as fast as he could to make her giggle like the child she was, she was too busy training and trying to already be a Ninja at war. She was only a Genin, the Chūnin exams were in a year, Saki acted as if she were going off to a battlefield.

Now, Saki fell into Shisui's arms, dead weight filled with memories she couldn't even remember. Surely this must have been Danzō's doing. Red-hot rage coursed through Shisui's veins and he held Saki tighter. He ignored the scars on her abdomen.

* * *

"SHISUI!"

"I'm fine, Itachi, I'm good."

Itachi's eyes were drawn to the figure in his friend's arms. Whoever it was, was small, thin, scarred and one of Danzō's puppets.

"Shisui, why do you have – "

"I guess you wouldn't recognise her," Shisui chuckled dryly, voice thick from what Itachi assumed was fear, or maybe anger. "My eyes were always better than yours."

Shisui rested the body against a tree, placed the thing carefully like it was family.

"Shisui, who – "

"She'd have to be, what? 9 now, 10? She was only 3 years older than little Sasuke." Shisui rambled, fingers lingering on the fair skin like it would break if he moved too quickly.

Shisui's fingers than moved to the white mask – a drama mask, It looked like, one side smiling and one side frowning – and gently peeled it off, revealing more fair skin, dark shadows under small, sharp shaped eyes.

Itachi's eyes cleared.

"No…." He'd entertained the thought, thought it with a heavy heart and heavy mind as he watched the village run, as he watched Foundation members come and go, killing anyone Danzō thought a threat. Itachi had thought, when he found himself pessimistic enough, perhaps Danzō had gotten his hands on Saki, sunk his claws in and marred her fair skin, killed her small, sweet smile, and dulled her violet eyes.

It seemed like it.

"Always wondered where she went off to." Shisui placed the mask next to her legs, traced the lines of the frown with his calloused fingers while smiling faintly, sadly.

Itachi wondered how many people Saki left behind.

Shisui stood up, back straight and hands clenched.

They left, tried not to look back, promised quietly they would come back, wondered if she'd be gone when they did.

* * *

No-one would ever know, not even Saki herself, that when Shisui Uchiha died, a single tear slipped down Saki's cheek like a reflex, like a 6th sense sensed the boy dying too young.

* * *

Saki woke up in a white room.

Medical Foundation Ninja by her side, all saying she was fine and she would live.

It was the first time Saki ever wondered if she was already dead anyway.

* * *

Within a few hours it all came back, every smile and laugh she'd shared with three boys with dark hair and dark eyes.

Sasuke.

Itachi.

Shisui.

She met them in the woods – she met Sasuke and Itachi in the woods.

Sasuke was 3, or 4, he was young and suspicious of the older girl, 6, or 7 maybe, watching his older brother train. They were both scared and Itachi laughed. Beckoning the young girl with flame red hair and sharp violet eyes out from behind a tree. She didn't speak. Only watched him throw Kunai at targets on green trees.

Sasuke would sometimes smile at her.

Shisui would mock her, telling her to speak and to smile, Saki remembered throwing a Kunai at him, barley missing his face, instead hitting a tree behind him and Shisui laughed, ruffled her hair like Kakashi never did and smiled.

Kakashi never touched her, fearing if he did he would smear blood on her fair face and break her.

Saki remembered smiling back at Sasuke.

Sticking her tongue out at Shisui and liking Itachi the most out of all of them.

Saki did not cry as she lay in bed, only replayed slicing Shisui's neck, watching the blood pour out and thought how it looked like how she once saw his eyes. Dark red.

"God…."

How could Saki ever leave the Foundation? How could she suddenly walk into Naruto's life and be a big sister if she killed and hurt so naturally?

Saki, for the first time, thought herself a true monster.

* * *

"Saki Yukimura,"

Danzō's voice filtered through Saki's head, ringing alarms bells that always were too quiet to overshadow his tone that ordered.

"Yes, Lord Danzō?" Saki was always ready to answer that order, she couldn't help it; it was as if she couldn't do anything else but answer when that voice spoke.

"A rouge Ninja has been sneaking around the Uchiha Family Compound," Factual, cold. "I want you to go, I want you to kill _anyone_ that leaves the ground. Failure to accomplish this mission will result in severe punishment, do you understand?"

Saki did not fail missions. In fact, the only one she had ever failed was the one where she was sent to kill Shisui.

"Understood, Lord Danzō."

"Good."

The moon was out, full and bright, it was like a lamp in the dull night sky.

Saki was dressed in standard Foundation uniform, Tantō at her back, mask in place, cloak covering her body. She was the darkest thing on the streets. Saki approached the Uchiha Compound quietly, no sound came from her movements; she was calm.

Saki remembered as a little girl thinking Itachi was the most beautiful creature she had ever laid eyes on. Itachi Uchiha could only be described as beautiful, dark hair and dark eyes, porcelain skin that seemed to almost shine when stood under the moon which couldn't hold a candle to the older Uchiha boy in beauty.

He came walking out of the compound, stumbling almost.

Itachi looked up, eyes focused on the dark figure in front of him.

"So, Danzō sent someone after me? I knew he wanted me dead, no matter what deal he tried to make."

Saki didn't know what he was talking about, didn't care to know anything more about Danzō or any plan he might've made. The words hardly registered.

Hands come up, without thinking, to pull the white mask off a shocked, frozen face.

Violet eyes stared, big, at dark, cold eyes.

If Saki had been paying more attention she would have seen Itachi's eyes widen, seen him step back an inch.

"Danzō sent you to kill me?"

 _It's Lord Danzō._ Saki's obedient mind supplied.

"I always known you'd become a Root puppet." Saki had never heard Itachi sound so cold, so detached, so, so _forced._

"I – I," Saki licked her lips over cracks made by breathing too hard, too fast and opened her mouth again. "I remember. Everything."

Itachi kept his head low, his Leaf Village forehead protector placed sideways on his head.

"You and – you and I were friends."

Saki moved forward, memories doing the same. She caught a glimpse of blood on Itachi's weapon and took a step back, feeling fear for the first time.

"What have you done?"

"Get out of my way." Itachi threatened. "Or I'll kill you too."

Saki stood frozen as Itachi moved past her, breathing heavily as he did so.

His body moved past hers, his feet feeling heavy on the cold ground, he wished to explain, to apologise but he moved forward. His body stopped cold when a blade hit the back of his neck.

"I was ordered to not let anyone leave the Compound." Itachi heard Saki say, her voice thick with emotion. "I won't let you get away."

Itachi's blade hit Saki's, clanking with sparks flying as it did so. Saki moved forward as fast as lighting, kicking Itachi's legs and swiping at his chest with her small blade. Itachi moved up, throwing Saki away by the legs, bringing his back down to stab the legs, to stop her movement but she blocked the attack.

Blade hit blade. Bodies moved fast, dodging attacks like they were only made to do that very thing.

Itachi could only feel a sad sort of pride fill his body. Saki was good, she was skilled and ruthless.

Both flew back, feet stopping their descent even further. They breathed hard, not out of tiredness but out of anger and frustration and guilt.

They ran at each other, blades held out in front of their faces, ready to attack.

Saki hissed as a blade pierced her lower face, a sharp sting followed by blood, flowing down her chin down to her neck. Her attack had been distracted by the pain, her blade flew higher, hitting Itachi's forehead protector on the way. The black protector unwound itself and flew off his head, hitting the ground with a defiant clink.

Itachi stood, he saw blood fall onto the ground from wounds Saki had already made. He stared at Saki who seemed to growl almost at him, blood flowing down from a cut from her ear to her chin on the left side of her face.

Saki let her Tantō fall to the ground, her hands then moved at lighting speed but a sharp pain moved through her body. Her head felt dizzy, heavy as she felt her knees buckle. A hand flew to her throat, half-lidded eyes saw deep-red, thick blood covering her hand, staining it.

She thought she heard Itachi yell something, perhaps an insult. She thought she heard another voice, but Saki convinced herself that she was hearing things.

Saki did not know what dying felt like but the way she gasped for air but finding none, the way she held her throat and only felt blood made her question whether dying simply felt like uselessness.

"There's a little boy in there, still alive." A soft, kind voice whispered in Saki's ear. It sounded far away and too much like wind.

Saki tried to lift her head, before she felt her head smash back onto concrete she thought she saw a young girl, maybe only a few years older than herself with short brown hair and delicate eyes. Saki thought she saw hands glowing green before the pain from her neck seemed to vanish almost, as if it were never there, as if the injury was all a part of Saki's imagination.

"Go." The whispered voice demanded faintly.

Saki found her footing, put her hands on the ground and pushed herself upwards.

She ran through the compound, smelling blood and seeing only pain. She ran around a corner, placing her hands together, fingers overlapping and closed her eyes.

 _Kanchi no Jutsu!_

A flicker of Chakra caught Saki's attention, she rounded another corner and found a large street. She ran down the path, blood dripping from her face and neck onto the already stained ground until she found a small body, hunched over and unconscious. Saki fell to her knees before the boy and lifted his face up, perhaps too roughly –

 _Sasuke!_

Saki gathered the boy in her arms, cradling his head in the crook of her elbow, her other arm holding his legs. His face was pale, soaked with sweat.

Saki remembered him smiling, pulling on Itachi's sleeves while Shisui and she laughed.

Saki did not cry, but she thought, if she had any tears left, she would have.


End file.
